Festival Focus - Mares Hurdle

Viva Quevega - Willie Mullins' star mare can make history with a fifth festival win

The last big race to cast an eye over on day one of the 2013 Cheltenham Festival is the OLBG David Nicholson Mares Hurdle (or OLBGDNMH for ‘short’) or the Quevega Benefit Race as it has become known for the last four years; and although it might mean a shorter Festival Focus than you may have become accustomed to I can’t really see a different outcome occurring in 2013.

Quevega has been one the stars of the Cheltenham Festival now for the last half a decade and although she doesn’t seem to be able to stand much racing it is still an impressive training feat from Willie Mullins to have got her to the festival on so many consecutive occasions given her fragility.

As it stands Quevega also sits at the top of the betting for the World Hurdle and although plans can change, connections seem to have indicated this isn’t the plan and she will attempt an historic fifth straight festival win in the Mares race.

There is the possibility – albeit a small one – that she could take in both races, but for the purposes of this piece that is somewhat irrelevant as this is the first race she’ll go for during the festival if she did try for both and thus should arrive at the post for the Mares Hurdle in peak condition.

Quevega has been utterly dominant in this race off the back of no discernible prep for the past three seasons and even if we don’t see her out until this race again I’m still confident that she is light years ahead of her competition, as she has been for the last four years too.

Ruby Walsh gets on so well with the horse and I see no reason and no possible pretender to the throne in the field that should see her not repeat yet again before once again landing the Irish World Hurdle at Punchestown in April.

Unaccompanied could be the best horse Quevega has faced in the Mares race since Voler La Vedette gave up trying to beat her however and looks a solid each-way proposition to chase the favourite home.

Dermot Weld’s admirable dual-purpose performer has been consistently mixing it with top horses at the highest level for a number of years now and holds some strong pieces of form in her locker. Second in the Triumph to Zarkandar back in 2011 she also holds a victory over St. Nicholas Abbey on the flat.

Unaccompanied hasn’t quite been at her best recently though but although well beaten; her second to Hurricane Fly in the Istabraq Hurdle last time out looked a step back in the right direction.

It seems unlikely that she’ll be able to topple Quevega, but if the favourite is to be beat this time around Unaccompanied surely has the best credentials to be the one to do it.

Of the remainder, Nicky Henderson’s Une Artiste looks sure to go well if taking her chance, she’s still progressive and is a consistent performer already having beaten many of her likely opponents in this race on several occasions.

Taking on the mighty Quevega looks a different prospect entirely though but Une Artiste looks good value to be disputing a place at the very least.

Kentford Grey Lady chased home Quevega last year and looked to have returned in good form this season when lumping a big weight round Sandown to win on her reappearance, but she was disappointing last time out when beaten at odds on by Une Artiste and Alasi. She’s clearly a good horse but she’ll need to be at her very best not just to even get close to Quevega but to get in to the minor money at all given some of the others who will be vying to try and cause the big upset this time around.

If she was to line up the best each-way value though could lie with Quevega’s stable mate Zuzka.

Obviously with Willie Mullins already holding such a strong chance in the race she may not start, but on the strength of her third to likely Supreme favourite Jezki in the Royal Bond earlier in the season she looks to have a chance on the form book of getting a place at least. Champagne Fever’s capitulation last time out has took the shine of the form of that race a little, but Jezki has subsequently come out and won very convincingly and Minsk who was back in fourth is no mug.

Zuzka’s last run also showed her to be a horse of considerable talent, readily winning a Grade 3 Mares race in Ireland in what looked to be a plot to get Patrick Mullins in to the record books.

As I say with Quevega in the race there’s no guarantee she’ll run but 9/1 with Stan James looks a good price for each-way purposes – if you’re prepared to take the risk that she does actually line-up opposite her stable mate.

Cheltenham is more than capable of throwing up a shocker or three but, as boring as it sounds and as unoriginal a tip as it is, for me there looks to be no barrier to Quevega making history other than herself.

If she turns up she wins, and on that basis when you think of the ridiculous prices you sometimes see good things going off at, 8/11 doesn’t look that bad.

Mares Hurdle 2013 – Selected Best Odds:

Quevega 8/11
Unaccompanied 7/1
Une Artiste 8/1
Zuzka 9/1
Kentford Grey Lady 10/1
She Ranks Me 16/1
Tarla 16/1
Mischievous Milly 20/1
Shop DJ 20/1
Ma Filleule 25/1
Alasi 28/1
Golden Sunbird 33/1
Swing Bowler 33/1
Violin Davis 33/1

Recommendation:

Back Quevega to win @ 8/11 (Stan James, Betfred) [4/6 NRFB Bet Victor]